Libya to erect statue of Saddam

Published January 5, 2007

TRIPOLI, Jan 4: Libya will raise a statue of Saddam Hussein alongside that of a national hero hanged in 1931 for leading the Libyan resistance against Italian occupation, the government said on Thursday. “The revolutionary committees have decided to erect a statue of Saddam Hussein standing beside Omar Mukhtar on the gallows,” it said in a statement. Libya declared three days of mourning after Saddam's death and cancelled public celebrations around the Eid holiday. Flags on government buildings flew at half-mast.—Reuters